The Barton Cross
by EuphoriaLily
Summary: This is an experiment. If you don't like the idea, please be kind to me, it is my first C-O. This is a story of what happens when Clint Barton/Hawkeye crosses paths with Aaron Cross. Rated T, but it may change later. Pairings: Clintasha/Blackhawk and Marta/Aaron I'M BACK!
1. Prologue

Prologue

Natasha silently followed the mark. He wasn't a set-up target, she chose this one herself. Nobody knew she was following him. Not the Director, not the Captain. And certainly not the Hawk. If she told him she was following the most dangerous man alive in the US, he would've tied her to a chair and put a lock on the door. Not that she wouldn't have been able to break out of that.

Point is, he wouldn't have let her go by herself. He would've insisted on coming, and that was the last thing she wanted.

Oh yeah, and she borrowed his bow.

He would probably kill her if he found out. Or make her pay in some not-so-subtle way tonight. Well, it was worth it, 'cause this mark baffled her. She'd been following him for months now, ever since they "broke" Manhattan. According to files, she had JARVIS steal them from the CIA database, this man was a rogue 300 thousand dollar-weapon. Lethal and trained to be an assassin. Good thing for her she was pretty well trained herself. She shot a rope-arrow to the next building and for a moment felt free of everything as she soared through the sky. Then she landed, wrenched the arrow out of the roof and ran along.

Okay, so now he was headed towards the mall. What would a master assassin have there? Natasha managed to get herself to the mall's building and waited patiently until the mark came out again. When he finally did emerge, someone was with him. Natasha cocked her head. The woman had long brown hair and was a little smaller than him, maybe 5 foot 7. When the turned around a corner, and Natasha got a flash of their faces, she saw that they were smiling.  
Wait, they were a couple? This mark really surprised her every time he turned a corner. Ever since he came back from wherever the hell he'd been the past couple of months, he'd been acting strange. Not like a master assassin at all. He'd gone shopping, out to dinner, relaxing. Not once had he looked like he was out to kill someone. And now this loving behaviour with the woman.

_"Agent Romanoff, come in."_

Fuck. He didn't sound too happy. "Yes, my Hawk?" she asked, sweetly.

_"Nat, don't give me that! I know you've got my bow!"_

She shot an arrow to the next building and she flew through the air. "I'm sorry, Clint, I needed it." She was not getting out of this one, no matter what she said, so she wouldn't even try. The mark and his date sat down at a small little restaurant. They held hands and were smiling happily.

_"Come back here, right now! I want my bow, Nat!"_ He was really angry.

Well, she was in deep shit now. She could afford to fuck it up even more with him. "Can't. Sorry."

_"Then I'm coming to you."_

Fine. Trouble it was. If he wanted it, he could get it. "Do whatever you want, Hawk. I'm on a mission, and I need your bow."

He groaned. _"You are impossible, you know that, right?"_

She shot an arrow to the next building and whizzed through the air. "So you've told me." The mark turned right. "If you want to come here, you can help me."

_"I am _not_ helping you!"_ He said it, but his voice was tinged with laughter. He never could stay mad at her for very long.

She knew that'd be his answer. "Fine. Then don't bother me."

He chuckled in her ear. _"I'm coming for you, Tasha. You should be very afraid."_

"Can't bring myself to feel fear, sorry." she joked back. He laughed and hung up. Shit. She needed to follow this guy, but she didn't want Clint to see him. Not yet. She needed to find out more about this guy before Clint could see it. With one desperate glance at the man at the restaurant, she turned and headed for the opposite direction.

"JARVIS, are you there?" she asked into her ear piece.

_"For you, Miss, always."_ Natasha smiled. JARVIS always said that, to anyone.

"Can you tell me exactly where agent Barton is?"

_"Of course, ma'am. He is exactly two miles away from your position. He has asked me to track you, too. He wants to find you, miss."_

"I know. Thank you, JARVIS."

_"You're quite welcome, agent Romanoff."_ She jumped from roof to roof, approaching the ground, and then landed in a back alley. Still wearing her cat suit, she found a spot at a small restaurant. If Clint wanted to meet her, than he could. At the most innocent place in all of New York.  
She felt him before she heard him behind her. She smiled and reacted the moment he put a hand on her shoulder. She grabbed his hand, turned it and threw him over her shoulder on the table. He coughed, and reassembled himself, but not before she jumped on top of him, disabling his legs. Clint smirked and lashed out at her face with his fist, but she blocked it and bend his wrist backwards.

He groaned. "Alright! Alright, Jesus!" he said, laughing. She laughed, too, kissed him and slid off the table. People were looking at them with weird looks, but when they saw who they were, they laughed and applauded. After the Manhattan Incident, they'd been like Hollywood Stars. Everybody came up to them, asked them for signatures on their Avengers Trading Cards, or cartoon magazines. At first, Natasha hadn't minded. But she couldn't go anywhere anymore without being recognized. Maybe she should dye her hair purple. She'd considered that once, but she loved her red hair too much. And let's not even begin to discuss what Clint would say. He absolutely adored her red hair. He could stare at it for hours on end.

"I'm sorry about that. I just wanted to test your skills. They have been diminished severely, Agent Barton."

"Well, maybe you should let me get out of bed more so that I can practice. _Agent _Romanoff." He came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulder, rubbing her shoulders softly. She smiled when he removed her hair from her neck and started pressing kisses there. She closed her eyes, enjoying his warm lips. "Give me my bow back." Natasha smiled and raised his bow. He took it and then left her neck. She slumped together, disappointed. He sat down opposite of her, smirking devilishly. "You really a sneaky little witch, aren't you?"

She smiled. "You just figuring that out now?"

He leaned forward, his deep grey eyes boring into her own, making her dizzy. "Why did you want to use my bow, Nat?"

"Practice. I needed to practice with your bow in case I need to use it in the near future."

Of course, Barton didn't believe her. It always had been a point of personal pride of his that he was able to tell when she was lying. Natasha had always been puzzled as to how. Nobody else could. She could seduce a mark, she could made a mark believe that he was in control while she was all the time. But she couldn't lie to Barton. It was damn near impossible. "Natasha."

"What? It's true."

He sighed. He knew when to give up. "Fine. So what are you doing here?"

"Waiting on my assassin boyfriend to take me out to dinner." she said, smirking. He laughed and put his bow and quiver underneath the table.

"Well played, agent Romanoff."

"Thank you, Barton. Wish I could say the same for you, but you gave up before the game had even begun."

He leaned forward, mesmerizing her with his eyes. "Don't push me, Black Widow."

"I will decide that for myself, Hawkeye, thank you very much."

He grinned and took the menu from the table. "You are in so much trouble." he said grinning to the menu.

"I can't bring myself to feel fear." They both laughed and a waiter took their orders. Clint took her hand and started playing with her fingers, absentmindedly. Natasha smiled and pinched his hand. He, at his turn, was never able to hide anything from her. There was something on his mind. "What's wrong, my Hawk?"  
He smiled at her, but his eyes didn't participate. She knew that one. He was worried. "You startled me. It's not your style to not leave a message with JARVIS for me. I thought, at first, that Fury had send you on a mission. But he knew nothing. JARVIS knew nothing. I thought…I thought you'd…"

Natasha knew what he was going to say. Petrovitch. He'd always been afraid of Petrovitch, how he would come back for Natalia Romanova one day and find Natasha Romanoff, S.H.I.E.L.D agent and girlfriend to Clint Barton. Petrovitch wouldn't like that very much. "Baby, it's okay. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I should've considered it." She took his hand and pinched it. "I'm sorry."

"I'm just glad you're okay, that you were just…training." He leaned forward and kissed her softly. "You're still going to pay tonight for taking my bow."

"And I am surprisingly okay with that." She stroked his face. All this talk about paying, it was all love and teasing. Both of them knew they loved everything the other did.

They ate, they talked, they laughed, but Natasha wasn't fully enjoying it. Her mind was with the assassin she'd been following. It troubled her that he was back, it troubled her that he was with that woman.

But what most troubled her was, that he looked like Clint.

* * *

So! There it is! First chapter to my very **_first_**cross-over, I know it's not lengthy, but bare with me for a couple of chapters. I want to see how this works out.


	2. Chapter 1

**So, I'm not too sure about this chapter. The second part is mostly fluffy Clintasha. If you don't like this chapter, that's fine, I'm not sure if I do.  
I hope you enjoy it at least a bit.  
Love!**

* * *

Chapter 1

**Marta POV**

There was a short knock on the door, soft enough to be missed by untrained ears, but both Aaron and Marta shot up. After being on the run for months, knocks like that didn't sound good to them. Aaron loaded his gun, and Marta, feeling ever so useless, followed him to the door, her body already ready to run.

"Who's there?" called Aaron, his finger trigger-ready.

"Your wake-up call, sir. You requested to be woken at 7 am this morning." sounded a woman's voice.

Marta could probably punch herself and Aaron along with it. How could they have forgotten that? She took the gun from Aaron, whom she knew would never put down the gun until the woman had fully identified herself. He grunted, but opened the door. In walked a woman with auburn hair. "Oh…" Her face turned red when she saw Aaron. "Good morning, sir. I'm Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries, welcome to Stark Hotel."

Aaron relaxed visibly and retreated to the bedroom to put on some clothes. The only thing he'd been wearing was a boxer, which had made Ms. Potts blush. "Thank you, Ms. Potts. And can I say what an honor it is to meet you, I have heard great things about you and Stark Industries."

"You can say 'Iron Man', too, you know. I know he's been all over the news again." Ms. Potts smiled and blushed a little. "The only problem with that man is his ego."

"Yes, how did he manage to rescue that humpback whale in Holland?" Aaron said, as he reentered the room, fully dressed this time. He wound his arm around Marta's waist.

Ms. Potts chuckled. "He called in a favor from a very close friend. A doctor, actually. Very smart and…big guy." She chuckled again, like she was enjoying some private joke.

"Well, good thing, too. That poor creature must have lived through hell on that beach. I'm dr. Marta Shearing, by the way, Ms. Potts."

"Dr. Marta Shearing? _The_ Dr. Marta Shearing? I've read all about your research!" Then she put her hand over her mouth and looked very guilty, as if she just said something forbidden. "Oh my God, I promised him not to tell anything!"

"How could you have read? I've never been able to publish it." Aaron looked suspicious, too.  
"I'm so sorry. But Tony – Iron Man – he monitors the CIA. Your file popped up one day. It was just too interesting not to. All the research you did, all the things you accomplished. You are the first one to come so close to recreating the Super Soldier program from World War II."

Marta raised her brows. The Super Soldier Program? "Never heard of it."

"No, I suppose you wouldn't. It shouldn't be your area of expertise. However did you manage it without Gamma radiation?"

Marta was confused and now Aaron looked puzzled, too. Which startled Marta, 'cause he was never puzzled. "I'm sorry, Miss Potts, but I honestly don't know what you're talking about."

Ms Potts nodded. "Alright, tell you what. Come by Stark Tower some time. Tony would love to meet you. He would be so thrilled to tell you all about it, and his lab partner would, too, 'cause he has worked closely on recreating the Super Soldier program." She wrote something down and handed Marta a piece of paper. "Should I put you in the books?"

"Yes, please." Another mind to work with? A second opinion on her work? Perfect!

"Marta, I don't think…"

"Kenneth, come on." she pleaded, using his real identity to hide him in plain side, as they discussed. "This is an opportunity for me, to finally finish my work. To put it to _good_ use." Aaron rolled his eyes, he obviously didn't like it, but nodded.

"Yes, I'll come by some time."

"Wonderful!" squeaked Ms Potts. She put something in her organizer and smiled happily. "I'll have someone call you soon."

"Thank you, Ms Potts." Marta said, and she felt truly grateful for this opportunity that had fallen into her lap. The all of CIA got what they deserved, and now it was time that she and Aaron rebuilt their lives. A possibility of continuing her work, the one thing she loved most. Or second most. She loved Aaron more.

Ms Potts smiled and left swiftly, the sound of her clicking heels fading down the hallway.

"Thank you, Aaron."

"I don't like it." he murmured.

"You never do. But you can't protect me against the most famous super heroes. They won't hurt me. And they'll crush you. Please, let me go."

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "What would you do to make me?"

Marta smirked broadly and wrapped one leg around his hip. "I can think of something." She pushed against his chest and he willingly let her push him to the bedroom, and undo all the work they'd done to their clothes.

**Natasha POV**

Natasha woke up close to his body and she inhaled his lovely scent. Luckily, she had been able to keep him in the dark about his doppelganger, but her heart hadn't lightened about it. She was extremely worried. Why did he look like Clint? How was that even possible. Why didn't anyone else see it?

"_Ms Romanov, miss Potts would like to see you in your living room. Should I deny her access?"_

"No, it's alright." Natasha whispered. She threw her legs out of bed and sneaked out of the bedroom, without waking Clint. Before she left the room, she sneaked a glance at the clock. 8 am. Shit, that was early. "Pepper, what's wrong?"

Pepper was standing in the middle of the living room, wringing her hands together nervously. She looked excited. "Nat, I've seen him! I've talked to him!"

"Who?" A light went on in Natasha's head, and she gasped. "The man who looks like Clint?"

"Yeah. He currently stays at Stark Hotel, and he's coming over."

"What, now?"

Pepper shook her head. "No, some other time. He's dating Marta Shearing, the girl who worked with the CIA on a secret project and then suddenly vanished." She raised her brows. "Guess we know why."

Natasha nodded. She'd heard about that. "I don't get it. Did he mention his name?"

"Dr Shearing called him Kenneth." Pepper shrugged. "Don't know if it's true."

"Thank you, Pepper. And could you please keep this to yourself? I don't want Clint or anyone to know just yet."

Pepper nodded. "Of course, I won't say a word. May I ask why?"

"Nobody ever knew his name, right? He only had a picture on the news, nobody every recognized him. We were lucky that Clint never watches the news. It's amazing he hasn't found out yet, and that we could get to the other before they told him. I want to figure out who this guy is before I confront Clint with it." Natasha wrapped her arms around herself and sighed. She hated keeping things from Clint. "He doesn't need it. Can't take it right now. He's still healing from what Loki did to him."

Pepper sat down and Nat sat down next to her. "How is he, by the way?"

Natasha bit her lip and shook her head. "He pretends to be fine. But I hear him every night. He screams his lungs out, then shoots up and starts pacing through the room, murmuring things like: 'I won't hurt Natasha, he doesn't control me'. In at least 10 different languages. He doesn't know I'm awake by then." Her heart clenched at the idea of him hurting that much, and her not being able to do anything about it. "There are times he can't stand to look at me. Because looking at me reminds him of the horrible images Loki put in his head. They are really horrible, Pep. He told me about it. Loki wasn't lying when he said he would make Clint kill me in every way Clint knows I fear. It's _cruel_."

Pepper shivered. "Don't worry, Nat. Clint's gonna be fine. He'll beat himself through it, with you by his side. He always does."

Natasha groaned. "I don't even know if I can stay by his side for long. What if I get send away on a mission? I can't leave him. He needs me." The idea of leaving him in this state horrified her. She didn't know what he would do to himself then.

"I'll talk to Fury about it. If it's necessary I'll get Hill to take your place. Or I'll even do it myself if I have to." Pepper wrapped her arms around Natasha soothingly. "I won't allow Fury to pull you apart. Not while you two need each other." Natasha held onto Pepper tightly, forcing her tears back behind her closed eyelids. She was Natasha Romanoff, best deep-cover spy in S.H.I.E.L.D. She doesn't cry. That's just not done.

"Thank you, Pepper."

"No problem. Now, I have to get back to my hero, before he gets worried. You get back to yours." Natasha chuckled and got up, tiptoeing back to the bedroom. Pepper got into the elevator and went back to her own floor. Nat slipped back into bed, cuddled up to his warm body and closed her eyes. She wasn't going to let him drop. No matter what anyone would try to keep them apart, she wouldn't let them.

"Was that Pepper?" His sleep-drunk voice came from above her. She jumped and rolled away from him, her heart beating a mile a minute.

"Jesus, Clint!"

"Sorry." he said chuckling.

"Yes, that was Pepper. She was checking up on me." Lying to him was horrible. But necessary for his protection.

He kissed the top of her head. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Clint. Are you?"

"I don't know. I'm getting there I suppose. I loved yesterday, though."

Nat smirked. Yeah, she had, too. "Well, good. You want to sleep some more?"

He shrugged. "I don't care. I only have nightmares when you're not here, so: do you?"

She snuggled up against his chest. "I don't care either. As long as I get to lay against you and you get to hold me."

He chuckled and buried his nose in her hair. "I can work with that." Natasha smiled and sneaked her hands under his sleeveless shirt. "Nat, they're freezing." he said, shivering, taking her hands and blowing on them worriedly.

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Nat, now I know there's something definitely wrong. Your hands are the only sign your body gives when there's something completely wrong."

How the hell did he know everything about her? It soothed her and scared her. Nobody was supposed to know her. But somehow, Clint had gotten through every single one of her walls. He knew her like nobody did. Hell, he was the only one who truly _knew_ her. The others just knew what she showed them. Which was…pretty much nothing. "Clint, trust me on this one." she murmured. "There's nothing wrong. And if there was, then I would have a perfectly good reason to not tell you."

He sighed. "Nat, I'm getting tired of this. I thought we'd been through this. You can tell me everything. Your hands give you away."

Fine. So he knew there was something. Didn't mean he had to know. "This is need-to-know only, Clint."

His eyes were like portals, and she saw she'd hurt him. "And I don't need to know?"

She closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest. "I wish you did. But you don't. I promised."

"Promised who?"

Oh, she just made this thing worse for herself. She promised herself, nothing more… "Clint. I beg of you. Don't make me hurt you more. I will tell you. In time."

He wrapped his arms around her. "You're lucky, agent Romanoff, that I like you so much." His teasing voice was back, which meant he'd accepted it. Or suppressed it. Which was mostly the same for Clint.

She chuckled. "Why? What would you have done if you didn't?"

He smirked at her, and stroked her hair out of her face. "You really, really don't wanna know."

"So what, you would've tied me to a chair? Like the first time?" she teased. He smirked, remembering.

"I didn't like you that much back then. Hell, I didn't like you at all. You had me chase you all around the globe, and when I finally did catch you, you escaped twice."

"Three times." she said cockily.

"Twice." he argued, frowning.

She shook her head, laughing. "Nope. Three times. The chair thingy, remember? I broke free of that, threw you into a bookcase and escaped. You didn't let me go that easily, though. Had me pinned down in the lobby, before I had even fully descended the stairs."

He snapped his fingers and suddenly trapped her body under his. "Right. Forgot about that." He kissed her neck. "Weird. It was the most fun position we'd been in that night."

She kicked his shin, like she did back then. "You still have that weak-spot." she hissed playfully when he cringed away from her.

"You still know how to find it." he whispered.

"How can I forget?" She closed the distance between their lips and kissed him passionately. "I love you, Clint. Thank you for saving me." She would forever be indebted to him for that. And she didn't mind at all.

Clint stroked her hair softly and kissed her temple. "You know you have already fulfilled your debt to me. Long ago. Don't thank me. It was entirely my pleasure." He smirked, and her stomach did a back-flip. "I love you. I don't ever want to be without you."

"We both know that's not gonna happen." She closed her eyes. Why did she always do that? Why did she always ruin a perfect moment right when it was about to get cheesy?

"My паук…my beautiful Черная вдова*." he whispered. She shivered. He always pronounced it perfectly. It always turned her on. She smiled. "I know. But solo missions won't keep us apart forever. We will find each other again. I know, 'cause we always do."

That was more true than anything she'd ever heard. They had always found each other. He'd found her in Russia. She'd found him in Budapest. "I believe you."

His hands snuck down her body, and he smirked when it reacted perfectly to his touch. "I'll always find you." he whispered, just when he reached her belly and tickled her softly. She giggled and kissed him. "I'll also always find your weak spots." he teased, while she tried to cringe away from him, laughing loudly.

"Please!" she pleaded, half-choking.

He laughed and lowered his head to her neck, sucking on her sensitive spot. "Please what?"

She wrapped her legs around his, grabbed his shoulders and rolled them over, so that she was crouching over him, one knee at his left side and other foot placed flat on the bed at his left side, trapping him with her body. "Please, stop." she hissed playfully. Okay, this was the second time this happened. That was their foreplay, so to speak. Trying to overpower the other playfully. She pressed her lips to his jaw and rubbed his muscled chest, reveling in the feel of it.

"I like it when you take control, Tasha." he murmured hoarsely, pulling her to him and kissing her deeply.

"I know you do." she whispered hoarsely. Their lips met again, and no more words were spoken until a lot later that day.

_*spider, pronounced pauk_  
_ Black Widow, pronounced Chernaya vdova_


	3. AN

**I know I should update on The Bourne Cross, The Barton Cross and Snow White and the Huntsman II. I know, I know, and I'm really sorry, but the Once Upon a Time ship just can't leave my head! It's frustrating really. I hate letting you awesome guys down, but if that one isn't out of my head first, I can never continue with the other stories. I'm doing the best I can, though! Please, be patient with me.**

**Love, Lily**


	4. Chapter 2

**Yay, new chapter!**

**Okay, this is a short one, but I really, ****_really_**** wanted to update. It's nice to know that so many people stayed with me, even after I've let you all down. I'm really trying, but, as I've said, two other people keep claiming all my inspiration. Thank you for your continued support, and I hope you like this fluffy chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 2

She dived to the right, out of the way of his fist. Before she even touched the ground, she extended her legs towards his, getting them in a tight lock and throwing him off his feet. He smashed into the ground, but jumped agilely to his feet. Natasha rolled her eyes. This guy just didn't know when to give up. He was fighting the Black Widow, for God's sake!

He smirked evilly at her. Of course he did. "Giving up?"

Natasha snorted. "You wish. Last time I checked I threw your ass down, not the other way around…" She could hardly finish her sentence. He threw himself at her, his knife skillfully wielded towards her face. She skillfully bended backwards, evading the knife, and she grabbed his arm, turned it on his back and yanked it up. He groaned.

"You're good, Black Widow."

"You bet."

"Not good enough, though!" He elbowed her in the stomach, making her double over and gasp for breath. She recovered fast, but not fast enough. He ran off, into the hallway. This guy was too annoying. She pulled two of her Widow's Bites from her belt and ran after him. She saw him turning the corner, turning south, and she smiled. He was stupid, that was a dead end. She went on after him, setting the voltage and getting ready to throw the Bites at his legs any minute. She turned the corner and smirked at the sight before her. He was standing against the wall, his back against it and a wild look in his eyes.

"You're a cocky bastard. But you're not good enough for me." She threw the Bites smiling, and the electricity hit his legs, disabling him completely. She ran to him and stood over him, smirking. He turned groaning and chuckled.

"You're good, Nat."

She crouched next to him and smiled. "Yes, but you knew that already, baby." She stroked his hair and felt a light shock of the electricity.

Clint reached for her hand and she pulled him to his feet. "_This_ close this time." He said, the annoyance evident on his face.

She smiled and kissed him tenderly. "You're improving, Barton."

"You, too."

"You almost had me this time. Almost."

He laughed and cupped her behind, making her yelp in surprise. "There will be a day when I beat you."

"Can't bring myself to feel fear."

Clint groaned and buried his face in her neck, biting on a bit of sensitive skin. "Is that going to be your one-liner all the time now?"

"What, I've said it two times?" she said, her eyes fluttering closed at his precise ministrations in her neck. He knew exactly what made her feel weak at the legs.

"Three. In the past twenty-four hours!"

Natasha shrugged. If he had a problem with it, it was too bad for him. She gasped when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her body flush with his. They had been like this ever since they "got together" so to say, after the Manhattan incident. Like hormone-crazed teenagers. And no one was more surprised than her when she found that she actually liked that. She liked spending her time with Clint. She loved training with him, she loved going on missions with him. But she would be the last to admit that out loud. No matter how much she'd opened up to him, showing love was highly unusual for her. She would not do that, she didn't care how much she really loved him.

The rational, most humanly part of her brain warned her that that was nonsense.

But hey, old habits die hard, so she never listened to that part.

And she knew for Clint it was enough for now. She looked at him, and his eyes were shining. "Ready for a shower, Nat?"

It should be a normal sentence. But the way he said it held something very…seductive. Or provocative. Whatever it was, Natasha shivered because of it and smirked devilishly. "More than ready."

He grinned and offered her his hand. She took it, and all the hairs on her body stood on end immediately. He chuckled and showed her one of the Widow Bites, he had been holding it all this time and lured her into touching the electric part herself. While the electricity coursed through her body, she cursed him in every language she knew he knew, so that he could understand her. "_Salaud!_ _Arschloch! Stronzo! Мудак! Dupek!*_" Somehow, this only seemed to amuse him more, and soon enough, he was doubled over with laughter. "You done?" she said, raising her brows at him. He nodded, but was unable to talk because of his laughing. She had to chuckle, too. It was just so good to see him laugh like that. Uncontrolled and truly happy.

"I'm s-sorry." he laughed, "It's just too…funny…you fell for it without thinking about it!"

That was it. She dropped to a crouching position, and just when he stopped, she swung one leg forwards and tackled him. "Now we're even. Can we go to the shower now?"

He laughed and jumped up. "You don't like to lose, do you?"

"No, I don't, but you knew that already." she half-snapped at him. "You like to rub my face in that fact every chance you get, so can we get to the shower now?"

Clint tried to straighten out his face, he really tried, but he had been thrown in a laughing fit. Natasha pulled him with her, trying her very best to keep her patience with him. "I'm so sorry, Nat, I'm trying!"

"It's okay. It's a good practice for my patience." she said, and she pulled him into the bathroom. They did not get out of the room anymore that day.

**Marta POV**

She was madly in love. She had never felt such strong emotions for anyone or anything. How could she not be in love? The beautiful features, the variety, the soft yet tough side…it all appealed to her. New York was the place for her to be. She had never left Maryland or Bethesda before, and she had never seen a big city with her own eyes before. Unless you count Manila, and for some reason, she never did count it.  
Aaron took her to see all these wonderful places. In one day, they went to see the Guggenheim and the Museum of Natural History. One in the morning, one in the afternoon, and Marta was truly amazed by all the culture and beauty she saw around her. Sometimes it was even too much, and then she sat down and just stared straight ahead. Aaron was there next to her though, all the time. Even after everything that happened, he was still overly worried about her. At the end of a very exhausting day, they sat down at this cute little restaurant and he treated her to a romantic dinner, and everything was just perfect. He was perfect, and all she would ever need. When dessert came, he leaned over and took her hand, surprising her.

"What are you thinking, my love?"

She smiled and squeezed his hand, her stomach swirling with joy. "I'm just enjoying what's left of this day. It's so perfect, Aaron. I had a really good time."

He grinned and Marta thought, _If only I could keep that grin on his face forever. He is _that _much more attractive when he grins_. "I did, too. I'm glad we're back here. I've missed the States." _He belongs in the States. Going away was necessary, but hard on him_. Marta smiled and nodded. Truth be told, she had missed it too.

"But we had a hell of a time, didn't we?"

He smirked. "Hell, yeah. Remember Venice?"

Marta burst out laughing. Oh yeah. She remembered Venice. She remembered leaving the city in a rush, 'cause they'd caused quite a stirring on the streets. She remembered the city being a complete mess for three days after they'd left. Yeah. She remembered alright. "Good times." He laughed, the corners of his eyes wrinkling slightly. He was genuinely happy, and that fact made Marta happy. It had been a long time coming, but now all was out in the open, Treadstone, Blackbriar, Outcome and LARX were disbanded, close to everyone was fired. It was over. They were finally free and safe. Nobody would ever bother them again. She probably had a new career possibility at Stark Tower, the place she still wanted to see desperately. And Aaron was with her. Her life couldn't possibly get better.

"Marta, I never want to be apart from you. Can you promise me you will never go away?" He held onto her hand tightly and pressed his lips against her knuckles.

Marta relaxed completely. Hell yeah, she would never go away. He made her feel special and wanted and loved. And she loved him to no end. No way she would leave that. "I promise. If…" She kept a dramatic silence. He raised a brow at her. "…if you promise to do the same. Never leave me, Aaron."

"I won't. I promise." He leaned forward while pulling her over the table and kissed her with all the heart he had. Marta knew that he would do anything and everything to keep that promise. "I love you, Marta. I really do."

Marta chuckled. After all this time, he still felt the need to convince her of that fact. "I know, Aaron. I love you, too."

"Are you ready to order, sir?"

Aaron pulled away quickly and smirked sheepishly. "Yes. We are. Marta?"

Marta smiled and looked at the menu, which she hadn't paid attention to until this very moment. She really had missed the American Cheeseburger, so she ordered that. She didn't care if it was unladylike or anything. She wanted something she hadn't had in a long time. Aaron followed suit. Their night progressed rather quickly and soon, they were back at their hotel room in Stark Hotel and their bedroom a big mess of clothes and sheets. Safe to say, they could never get enough of each other. No matter how often they slept together, it never got old.

They both had no idea how fast their lives were about the change.

* * *

**_*French, German, Italian, Russian(pronouncation: mudak), Polish, it all means asshole._**


	5. Chapter 3

**Wow, two chapters within a month. The fact that that is special, is really, really embarrassing. But I was on a roll with this one! So I hope you like it!**

* * *

Chapter 3

**Clint POV**

Clint knew there was something Natasha wasn't telling him. He'd always known when she wasn't telling him the whole truth. There was something in her eyes, but the real tell-tale sign were her hands. They were always cold when she was lying, or holding something back.

And Clint was genuinely worried. When she'd told him she would tell that he didn't need to know, it all made him _that_ much more curious and worried. What was she keeping from him?

He still wasn't positive she wouldn't disappear overnight. Every night, he would worry, right before going to sleep that when he woke up, she would be gone. It was the Black Widow's way of doing things, after all. It's what she'd been trained to do from a ridiculously early age. Was she planning to leave him? He didn't think he could handle that. Natasha meant everything to him. He would worry if she was away on a solo-mission, he would fear for her life in a life-or-death situation – not like partner would, but a lover – and he would always be afraid to lose her to someone else. He wasn't special. He was broken and damaged and fucked up in all different sorts of ways. No woman would want that, not for long. Maybe that was why he would get a little bit possessive around the other Avengers, especially Stark. He'd monitored her when she was on her undercover mission, working closely together with the playboy of the century. He'd seen how Stark had flirted with _his_ Natasha, even though she wasn't his back then. It had made his blood boil with anger and jealousy.

When they joined the Avengers initiative, and all those muscled men, gods and all sorts of in-betweens came along, making friends with her just as easily. And when Natasha had finally kissed him, after tending to his wounds, and told him that she felt something for him, something more than partnership or gratitude, then he'd finally felt secure for a night. He'd known she was truly his, like he had been hers since they first set eyes on each other. The day after, however, he'd had to put up with Stark's innuendoes and Thor's demeanor towards _his_ Natasha. Blood had boiled vigorously.

He rolled over in their bed, and stared at Natasha's beautiful, sleeping face. He carefully laid his arm over her and reveled in the warmth of her skin. He loved her so much, too much to even put into words or actions. He honestly thought he wouldn't be able to live without her in his life. "Oh Natasha…" he breathed softly. She stirred, groaned and snuggled closer to his chest, sighing contently and relaxing a bit. He wrapped both his arms around her body and buried his face in her red hair. It was as if she knew that he needed this right now, even in slumber.

"Clint?" she murmured sleepily.

"It's okay, Nat. I'm here, go back to sleep."

She took a deep breath. "Mmm…I love you, Clint."

He clenched his eyes shut as unwanted and unnecessary tears threatened to come to the surface. "Love you, too, Tasha."

Tasha. He wouldn't be able to live without her.

So he would accept that she was holding something back, and he would accept that that annoyed him to no end, and he would be patient. Because he wanted to have Natasha with him. No matter what.

He closed his eyes. God, life was complicated.

**Aaron POV**

Lying back on the comfortable hotel room bed, Aaron stared at the ceiling, mulling over everything and nothing. He didn't need as much sleep as Marta did, and he usually stayed awake till three in the morning. Her steady breathing was always a source of calm for him. He rolled to his side and stared at her for a long while. She was lying on her side, her hands clasped together and propped under her cheek, her knees pulled up to her chest and her mouth slightly opened. She looked like a goddess. And she was his.

He still couldn't believe it, even after all they had been through together; Manila, the trials, then Venice…even after all of that, he couldn't wrap his head around it. She _loved_ him. She trusted him, his good and his bad side. His trained side and his innocent, naïve side that knew nothing of love and friendship.

He lifted his hand and softly stroked her hair. God, she was beautiful. It made him think of…well, she kind of reminded him of his childhood. He didn't remember much, but there were always three faces that he remembered quite clearly. His mother, his father and a girl whose name he didn't know, but whose face was as clear as day. A girl he once knew. He knew he'd grown up with her, he knew he'd been best friends with her. But he couldn't for the life of him remember her name.

He missed his family. After the trials, and after Venice, they called for the first time since he was recruited. As he never was a clever guy before, they were stunned and astounded by him. How talkative he was, how smart he could be. He'd brought them to tears. Years and years they'd thought they'd lost him, and now there he was, alive and well. Better, even, then before. They'd agreed not to meet for a while, just talk over the phone, to get used to each other, but it was much harder than Aaron had originally thought. He desperately wanted to see them again. Her barely remembered his old life, and he wanted to remember it. But with Marta. He wanted her to be there when he reunited with them, he wanted her to be with him forever.

"Oh, Marta." he whispered.

She stirred and rolled over, her back to him now. He scooted closer and pulled her softly against his chest, his nose buried in her hair. He liked lying like this with her, at night. It held off the nightmares. "Aaron." she whispered suddenly, and for a moment, he was scared she would wake up. But she didn't and he relaxed.

_Marta, Marta, what would I do without you?_ He kissed the top of her head, and she smiled in her sleep. It was a sight for sore eyes. He glances over to the digital clock on the nightstand. Three o'clock. That was about right, he was starting to feel sleepy. He snuggled his nose in her hair and closed his eyes. There was nothing better than falling asleep next to _his_ Marta.

There was nothing he wanted more than Marta

**Natasha POV**

Today was another day of following the Mark. She knew his name now. Kenneth. Although she wasn't sure it was his real name. He puzzled and frightened her. She knew what he was. He was part of CIA's most deadly agents, and deadly he was. She'd backtracked his actions from Manila, to the trials to Venice. He was vicious, powerful and fast. Much like Clint. Much like herself.

The woman with him was Marta Shearing, renowned scientist who disappeared right around the time a colleague went nuts and started shooting everybody. They seemed to be together. Natasha bit her nails as she watched him move stealthily through the crowds from behind her menu. Nail-biting was something she hadn't done in a long time, but this guy unnerved her. He was threatening her now near-perfect life. She didn't want him to ruin what she and Clint were having right now. She looked down to the menu in her hand as he turned his head. When she looked up, he was gone. She shot up, looking around frantically. What the _fuck_? She had never, ever lost a Mark! How could this happen?

Suddenly, she felt the barrel of a gun pressed against her neck. "Don't. Fucking. Move." He was right behind her. How could she have missed that? Was she losing her touch? "Oh, don't worry, you're not losing your touch. I'm just extremely good at making myself invisible."

Natasha sat still in her seat, while he walked around her, his gun hidden inconspicuously beneath his jacket. What was she going to do? Normally, she wouldn't freak out like this, but this guy had an MO that would frighten the men from the Red Room. She had to recollect herself two times before smiling softly. She had a plan.

"So, _Black Widow_ – " – he knew her name – " – shall we get to business?" God, how was this possible? He was the spitting image of Clint. Down to the color of his eyes. The only difference was what was readable in their eyes. They had both been through a lot. But different things. "Why are you following me around?"

"I wasn't aware that I was." she said, going for the innocent approach first.

He chuckled humorlessly. Of course, that wouldn't fool him. "Natasha," – oh God, he even said her name the same way as Clint did when he was disappointed in her – "you and I both know that you don't sit around at little cafes for nothing. There's always a reason. And besides, I've seen you flying over the rooftops the day before yesterday. I must say I was surprised. The reports made you out to be far less beautiful than you actually are." He had never seen her before? That would mean he probably didn't know anything about Clint either. That was a good thing.

"Mr…?"

"Kitsome. Or Cross. Whichever you prefer. I don't doubt you've already figured it all out." She hadn't. He wasn't traceable. "Ah, I see. They wiped me out of the records, didn't they?" He chuckled and nodded as if he realized something. "Should've known. Well, Miss Romanoff, let me fill you in on a few things. My name was Kenneth James Kitsome. My name is Aaron Cross. You can call me anything you'd like."

Well, she did have a stupid urge to call him Clint, but she didn't think either two men would appreciate that. "Well, Mr Cross, I have been following you. But can you blame me? The wreckage you caused in Venice was all over the news. When I realized you were back in the States, I knew you had to be traced." She smiled sweetly. She was in her Widow-act, all panic gone from her system. "You're a liability." She breathed in deeply. "This city is just rebuilding from an alien attack, Mr Cross. It doesn't need a trigger-happy psycho around." She crossed her legs and pulled a knife from its sheath on her booth. He never noticed.

His expression darkened, and she shivered. Again a parallel to Clint. "I am no psycho. Trust me, I have had three examinations, all came out clean." He chuckled. "And the mess in Venice wasn't me." He stretched out, revealing he still had the gun trained on her. "No, that was my better half. She can be quite…aggressive, when provoked."

Natasha smiled, genuinely for the first time. "Sounds like a survivor."

"She is." He coughed, composing himself and his eyes going back to hers. "Now, I want to make something clear, miss Romanoff. You will, from now on, no longer bother me or my counterpart. If I even feel you behind me, you're dead. You got that?"

Natasha shivered at the venom in his voice. He was dead serious, and sounding like Clint. "I got that. But I won't stop. You are a danger to my city, Mr Cross. I don't trust you."

Cross bend over the table, his dark eyes filled with rage and uncontrollable lust for blood. She gazed right back at him. "Well, the feeling is mutual. I am not here to wreck the whole city, miss Romanoff. I am simply here to start over." And suddenly, he pulled his gun out, and she tensed. He smirked at that, but he just disarmed it and put it down on the table. That threw Natasha off. She hadn't expected that. "I pose no threat to the city, trust me. I just want a new life. With my love, with my family. Can you understand that?"

Well, actually, she could. She wanted the same thing with Clint. "I can, Mr Cross."

"Then do we have a deal?"

Natasha sighed. Should she tell him? That he looked like _her_ love? Was it even wise to tell anyone besides Pepper? "I really want to strike this deal, but the safety of my city isn't the only reason I'm following you." _What? When did you decide to tell him?_ She didn't. She swallowed. "You remind me of someone. Someone from long ago."

"You didn't grow up here." He said, his big eyes confused.

"I didn't. But you just do, okay?" God, she sounded like a teenager. What was wrong with her?

Cross bit his lower lip softly and seemed to be in deep thought. "Okay. Here's what's going to happen. Since we can't come to an agreement, I'll have to do it this way. If you come closer than 1600 feet to me, I will hurt you, do you understand?"

Well, he sure as hell wasn't kidding. "I do."

"Good." He rose, came up behind her and leant down. "Good afternoon, miss Romanoff." Then his hands on her shoulder was gone and she whirled around. Nobody. Nothing. She smirked in herself. Oh, she liked the way he thought. She rose and started towards Stark Tower, her mind reeling with information. This guy was dangerous, she understood that. But he looked so much like her Clint. She needed the truth.

She just had to be more careful.

* * *

**She met Aaron! I'm so excited. And I know this is going ridiculously slow, but I'm building up to - whatever it is.  
Leave me a review to let me know what you think, suggestions and ideas! I love to read them!**

**Love, Lily**


End file.
